Colorado Master Gardeners Herman Albrandt, Stacey Poland, Jacque Weimer and Colorado State University Extension Morgan County Horticulture and Youth 4-H Coordinator Rich Guggenheim enjoyed a private tour of the Denver Botanic Garden last week when they attended an all day conference on Plant Select[reg] plants.

Plant Select[reg] is a collaborative effort with Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado State University, and regional and national horticultural professionals. The CSU Extension Office in Fort Morgan is home to the county's only Plant Select[reg] demonstration garden where more than 60 varieties of those kinds of plants are on display for the public to come and enjoy.

"The Garden is a dynamic place with new plants coming into or going out of bloom every week," said Rich Guggenheim, extension horticulturalist with the Colorado State University Extension Service.

Plants are labeled with signs, and a binder with information regarding each plant is available inside the extension office where agents are available to answer questions regarding the plants. Colorado master gardeners are planning a Sunset Garden event this summer, in which the public will be invited to come and tour the gardens and learn more about the Plant Select[reg] Demonstration Garden and the new introductions for 2013 and 2014 varieties in Fort Morgan.

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The mission of Plant Select[reg] is to seek out and distribute the best plants for landscapes from the High Plains to the Intermountain region and beyond. To be included in the program, selected plants should:

Thrive in a broad range of garden enviroments in the Rocky Mountain region.

Be resilient to the region's challenging climate.

Exemplify the unique.

Demonstrate disease and insect resistance.

Flourish in low water conditions.

Display a long season of beauty in the garden.

Not be an invasive species.

For more information on water-wise gardening in Colorado contact the CSU Extension Office in Morgan County at 970-542-3540 or on Facebook.